Pipe-grab.



PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904:.l

' P. J. LUX-INS.

PIPE GRAB. IUEPLIGA'IION` FILED FEB. 21, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

s 65 x Y@ 4M tro. 776,523.

5 ira STATES Patented December 6, 1904.

FRED J. LUKINS, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO THE AMERICAN WELLWORKS, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PIPE-GRAB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,523, dated December6, 1904. Application filed February 21,'1903. Serial No. 144,552. (Nomodel.)

T all whom it may cof/warn:

Be it known that I, FRED J. LUKINs, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe-Grabs, of which thefollowing is aspecitication, reference being had to the accomigianyingdrawings.

My invention relates to well-sinking apparatus, and has for its objectto provide certain improvements in tools known as pipegrabs employed fortaking out pipes that have been broken off or dropped into tubular orArtesian wells.

I5 In sinking a well when the boring-tool is engaged with a part of thepipe that is broken off and it cannot be lifted, which frequentlyhappens, it is necessary to employ another tool for the removal of thebroken pipe. Such 2O tool is called a pipe-grab and is arranged tograpple the broken pipe, so that it can be removed to permit furthersinking' of the well.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved pipe-grabconstructed and arranged so that it may be readily inserted in a welland after being lowered to the proper point may be caused to firmly gripthe inside of the pipeto be removed, so that such pipe may be withdrawnwith the tool.

A further object is to provide means by which the pipe-grab may becaused to release the pipe to be removed, as is sometimes necessarywhere such pipe is so firmly held in the well as to prevent its removal.By providing for releasing the pipe-grab when necessary I am enabled tosave the tool where the effort to remove the broken pipe or otherobstruction is futile.

I accomplish these objects as hereinafter described and as illustratedin the accompanying drawings.

What I regard as new is set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a partial vertical section ofa piece of pipe, illustrating my improved tool in elevation. Fig. 2 is avertical section of the parts shown in Fig. l. Fig. 8 is a horizontalsection on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig'. 4 is a horizontal section on line 44 of Fig. 2, and Fig'. 5 is a hori- 50 zontal section on line 5 5 ofFig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 6 indicates the pipe to be removed, which inpractice is at a greater or less depth in the well.

7 indicates a tube which supports certain 55 parts of the tool.

8 indicates a plugin the lower end of the tube 7, as shown -in Fig. 2,said plug being preferably screwed into the lower end of the tube 7 sothat it may be removed at pleasure. 60

9 indicates what may be termed a spreaden which, as illustrated in Fig.2, is provided with a tapered portion at its lower end and a stem at itsupper end, the latter being secured to the plug 8. As shown, the upperend of said stem isscrew-threaded, so that it may be separated from theplug 8, if desired; but it may be secured theretoin any suitable manner.From an inspection of Fig'. 4C it will be seen that the stem l0, asillustrated, is circular in cross-section, while the tapered head 1l atthe lower end of the spreader is provided with flattened sides a and ispreferably quadrilateral, so aste accommodate four wedges, as will behereinafter-described. The number of sides of the tapered portion l1may, however, be varied, and, if desired, the stem l0 may benon-circular in cross-section. The sides of the head 11 extend graduallyinward and upward until they merg'e in the circular 8O stem 10. I preferalsoto provide the head l1 with a pointed lower end 12, as shown in Fig.2.

13 indicates wedges which are provided with inclined inner surfacesadapted to bear against the sides of the spreader-head 1l, as shown inFigs. 2 and 5. The outer surfaces of the wedges 13 are roughened orserrated, as shown at 1A in Fig. 2, so as to adapt them to engage theinner surface of the pipe to be removed, and they are also arranged at asufiicient angle to the inner faces of the wedges to cause them to liesubstantially parallel with the inner surface of the pipe when inoperative position. Obviously when the wedges are forced down upon thespreader-head l1 or the spreader-head is drawn upbetween the wedges thewedges are forced out into eng'agevspreader may be adjusted.

ment with the inner surface of the pipe. The vertical position of thewedges 13 is controlled from an operating-rod 15, which extends downthrough the tube 7 and is connected with said wedges by rods 16, (shownin Fig. 2,) so that bymeans of said rod the position of the wedges orgripping' means with reference to the In the construction illustratedthe rod 15 is provided at its lower end with a head 17, in which areformed recesses 18,adapted to receive nuts 19, screwed upon the upperends of the rods 16, which enter the recesses 18 from below, passingthrough the under portion of the head 17, as shown in Fig. 2. The rods16 pass through suitable passages in the plug 8 into the upper portionsof the different wedges 13, respectively, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. Thewedges 13 are also provided with recesses 20, which receive pins 21,secured in the lower ends of the rods 16, the wedges 13 being thussecured upon the lower ends of the rods 16. Instead of using the pins 21to secure the wedges to the rods 16 the connection may be made withnuts, as shown at the upper ends of said rods. The passages throughwhich the rods 16 pass into the recesses 2() are large enough, so thatthe wedges 13 may rock slightly upon the pins 21. Consequently they mayadapt themselves properly to their work. The connection of the rods 16with the head 17 at their upper ends is also loose, and the passagesthrough the plug 8 are of somewhat greater diameter than the rods 16, sothat slight lateral movement of said rods is permitted.

In operation when the tube 7 is lowered into the pipe to be removed thewedges slide up far enough along the stern 10 of the spreader to permitthem to pass freely into the well and into the pipe to be withdrawn.After they have been lowered to place by means of the tube 7 thespreader is drawn up between the wedges or the wedges are forced downupon the spreader-head, as may be desired, thereby forcing the wedgesfirmly into engagement with the pipe to be withdrawn. The tube 7 is thenhoisted, the power applied thereto serving not only to raise the pipe tobe withdrawn, but also to force the wedges more firmly into engagementtherewith, and the greater the pull upon the tube 7 the more rmly arethe wedges forced outward. If for any reason the pipe cannot bewithdrawn and it is desired to release and remove the grabbingtool byforcing down the spreader 9 by means of the tube 7 and attaching andpulling up on the rod 15, the wedges are permitted to move inward,releasing their grip upon the pipe.

It will be understood, of course, that the number of wedges employed maybe varied, one or more being employed, as may seem desirable.Furthermore, my invention is not restricted to the specific details ofthe con'- struction illustrated and described, except in so far as suchdetails are particularly claimed.

That which I regard as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. A pipe-grab, comprising a spreader composed of a tapered head and astem, a tube connected with said stem, a rod lying within said tube andmoving longitudinally thereof, a plurality of rods Connected with saidfirstmentioned rod and extending below said tube, and wedges carried bysaid rods and arranged to be operated by said spreader-head to grip thepipe to be removed, substantially as described.

2. A pipe-grab, comprising a spreader composed of a tapered head and astem, a tube connected with said stem, a rod lying' within said tube andmoving longitudinally thereof, a plurality of rods connected with saidfirstmentioned rod and extending below said tube, and wedges movablyconnected to the lower ends of said rods and arranged to be operated bysaid spreader-head to grip the pipe to be removed, substantially asdescribed.

3. A pipe-grab, comprising a spreader composed of a tapered head and astem, a tube connected with said stern, a rod lying within said tuberand moving longitudinally thereof, a plurality of laterally-movablerods connected with said first-mentioned rod and extending below saidtube, and wedges carried by said rods and arranged to be operated bysaid spreader-head to grip the pipe to be removed, substantially asdescribed.

FRED J. LUKINS.

lVitnesses:

M. T. CHAPMAN, C. B. SPEIR.

